Software updates: Patches and service packs

My December column generated quite a bit of feedback, most of it agreeing
with my concerns about the fast pace of software upgrades. This month
I'll discuss a related subject: how to control and manage the update patches
and bug fixes that are also released rapidly. In December I talked about
optional software version upgrades, but many patches are really mandatory
fixes for software defects that cause crashes and lost functionality.

Patches and service packs

Patches are relatively small programs that address small problem areas
in the operating system and software application, and service packs are
collections of individual patches and more significant upgrades packaged
together and deployed at one time. Individual patches can become a management
nightmare as you attempt to track what's been installed on which workstation.
Service packs make this upgrade process easier to manage.

In recent years, we've become accustomed to getting most software fixes
and minor upgrades as service packs. However, new techniques for distributing
and installing patches may lead to more individual patches released at
a faster rate than the service packs. In addition, AutoCAD and its vertical
application versions such as Architectural Desktop follow a staggered
release cycle, so patches and service packs for plain AutoCAD are released
first and versions for the vertical products appear some time later. All
this adds to the management and documentation load that the CAD manager
must juggle. To successfully deploy patches and service packs, it can
be critical to track the order of the installations on each workstation.

When to install patches

The pace of patch releases is related, of course, to the rate at
which new software upgrades are rushed to market. Often, reduced intervals
between software releases result in reduced time for testing and quality
assurance. In turn, patches are subject to even less beta testing than
afforded larger releases and consequently can generate unforeseen problems
when you install them.

The Internet offers a fast and convenient method for software developers
to post patches and for users to download them. In several cases, companies
released patches or service packs only to pull them from their Web site
within a matter of days when unanticipated problems arose. They later
replaced them with a new version.

Many software developers incorporate a Live Update feature in their programs.
Users can query the software site for applicable updates and then download
and install them automatically to their desktops. This feature is especially
convenient for programs such as antivirus software, which needs only a
few separate virus definition files updated to remain current.

But in more complex software situations, such as with an operating system
or CAD program, you need a more careful and rigorous approach to deploying
upgrades. A change in one small area of the program can easily break something
else in a seemingly unrelated area. Your users will be tempted by automatic
Internet notification of available updates of all sorts, and you need
to have policies and procedures in place to deal with this. You don't
want your users unilaterally downloading software patches until you've
tested them and found them to be bug-free and effective for your use.
When it comes to patch installation, it's prudent to wait a period of
time and to monitor the experiences of other users before allowing widespread
deployment in an office.

Can a computer take care of itself?
Sure it can. . .

Wow, that's a dream come true for CAD managers, and it's the promise made
by BigFix, a Web-based service that counts Autodesk as one of its licensees.
BigFix, an example of the next generation of the Live Update concept,
is more appropriate for distributing smaller individual patches than service
packs and major updates.

You download and install the BigFix software client for free and receive
free subscriptions to various company sites that support it. Participating
companies license BigFix server software so they can proactively distribute
Fixlet messages and patches targeted at specific software defects. BigFix
is now featured prominently on the Autodesk
Web site, which urges users to download the client software and sign
up.

When the participating company wants to distribute a patch, it places
the Fixlet on its BigFix server site. BigFix client workstations query
the Internet on a daily basis, access the subscription sites to find new
Fixlets, and notify the client machine when new patches become available.
The client computer can automatically install the patch using the Fixlet
message.

In addition to the Autodesk Fixlet site, sites are set up for Windows
95/98/ 2000/ME, Tucows software, and some games. Users are also automatically
subscribed to a Fixlet Central site that disseminates alarmist news flashes
about a variety of reported security, privacy, and virus issues culled
from the Internet.

I wouldn't want to be the CAD manager whose company uses BigFix the week
that Microsoft releases a patch for Windows at the same time Autodesk
sends out a patch for AutoCAD. The law of unintended consequences will
sometimes dictate that one patch disables the other program in an unforeseeable
way.

Patience is the key

In the face of this potential onslaught of patches and fixes, you must
establish policies and procedures to maintain control over what gets installed
on your workstations. Set up a workstation in the office on which you
test patches before you release them to your user population.

If your company doesn't have time and/or hardware resources necessary
to dedicate a workstation for this use, go slowly and monitor other users'
experience. You can follow the messages on the news groups, ask colleagues
in other firms, and use your local CAD user groups to research the safety
of updates, service packs, and patches. You may not be on the leading
edge of new features and repaired functions this way, but you won't be
on the bleeding edge either.

The ability of the Internet to speedily deliver software improvements
and fixes, and fixes to fixes, is welcome and appreciated by users and
software developers alike, but it also requires an additional level of
control and management on the part of CAD managers and system administrators.

About the Author: Michael Dakan

Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's free Tips & Tools Weekly e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!Follow Lynn on Twitter